The members of the European Council bid farewell to the President of the Republic Mr Nicos Anastasiades, after his ten-year presence at the Summits, last night in Brussels, at a special ceremony held on the sidelines of the Council working dinner, in the presence of the leaders of the EU Member States and the heads of the Union's institutions.
During the ceremony, a video tribute was shown to President Anastasiades for his valuable contribution and input to the EU.
Speaking at the ceremony, President of the European Council Charles Michel said that "before we conclude this session, I would like to say a few words about this special moment.
Dear colleagues, we have with us a man with an extremely attractive personality, who is taking part in this last meeting of the European Council, since he will no longer be President of Cyprus from next March, Nicos Anastasiades.
We are really very touched because Nikos is one of the very experienced members of the European Council, since he has a long experience as a member in general, and what I would like to say to him personally is, and I am addressing him: when I took over as Prime Minister of Belgium and participated in my first European Council, I had just met you and I was impressed by your grace, your courtesy, your subtlety, the way you made your arguments and expressed your views, for the good of your country and your people. Always willing to participate for the sake of building the common European vision, but also to seize the opportunity, to the maximum extent possible, for the sake of our unbreakable cooperation, and in the service of this common project. You have accustomed us to your impeccable rhetoric, to the presentation of your well-founded arguments, fully developing your arguments, and for all this I owe you a thank you.
Thank you for your friendship, for our cooperation. In conclusion, so that I don't forget because it is true that at the end of this long experience in the European Council, there is no room for error. I therefore mention that we have been companions around this table with 5 British Prime Ministers, 4 Belgian Prime Ministers, 7 Italian Prime Ministers and 3 Presidents of the Commission, making a long list and demonstrating the extent to which we have cultivated feelings of friendship. Warm sincere wishes for all the best for you and thank you for your solidarity, thank you for your loyalty."
For his part, the President of the Republic said that "first of all, I would like to thank Charles for his kind words.
This is the last European Council in which I am participating and it is a day of intense emotions and emotion as I bid you farewell, my dear friends.
Being a Member of the European Council for ten consecutive years has been one of the most honourable experiences of my life.
It has certainly not been an easy journey, given the numerous challenges and many crises that we have all been called upon to face together.
However, your commitment and determination to find jointly beneficial solutions to address the concerns and satisfy the interests of each individual Member State has been exemplary.
Dear friends, if there is one thing I wholeheartedly regret during my ten years in office, it is that I did not realise my vision for the reunification of Cyprus and its people.
This is not the time to go into details. However, what I ask of all of you is to be concerned about the Cyprus problem. A problem which is in essence a European problem, since a member state of the European Union remains divided. As a Member State of the European Union, Cyprus receives daily threats and suffers violations against its sovereignty, as well as against the unimpeded application of its sovereign rights.
To this end, I urge you all to work closely with the new President to find a solution on the basis of the European acquis and the established parameters of the United Nations, while at the same time exerting influence on Turkey to engage constructively in the negotiations and refrain from any provocative and illegal actions against Cyprus.
In conclusion, with these thoughts I would like to thank each of you for our close cooperation, for your unconditional support, but above all for the genuine friendship we have forged over the years. This is something precious to me".
For the video of the ceremony click here.
(PM/MB)
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